Covering fabric for umbrellas



March 27, 1951 w. GRACE COVERING FABRIC FOR UMBRELLAS Filed Dec. 17, 1949 INVENTOR W611i am Gfiace Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COVERING FABRIC FOR UMBRELLAS William Grace, New York, N. Y. Application December 17, 1949, SerialNo. 133,649

3 Claims. 1

-This invention relates to textile fabric coverings for umbrellas, which coverings have reinforced selvedge edges capable of withstanding the stresses exerted thereon by the stays of the umbrellas without weakening or fraying.

Umbrella fabric coverings having reinforced selvedge edges produced by folding over the longitudinal edges and adhesively securing the folded over edges by means of an adhesive tape, such as a rubberized tape, have been proposed. Such coverings have been found objectionable for a'number of reasons, including among others, (1) the fabric must be made of a width to provide for the folded edge portions; thisand the securing of the folded edges by means of a tape adds substantially to the expense of manufacturing the fabric, and (2) the folded edges-add bulk to the edge portion of the umbrella covering resulting in some cases in an unatlractive edge.

It is an object of this invention to provide an umbrella covering fabric having reinforced selvedge edges and this without entailing additional manufacturing steps, such as the folding of the edge portions or the securing of the folded edges by means of an adhesive tape.

It is a further object to provide an umbrella covering fabric of uniform thickness having reinforced selvedge edges which can readily and efficiently be loomed of single width, but preferably of a width equal to anydesired multiple of the single width, and, when the multiple width web is cut into single widths, each single wid';h strip is automatically formed with reinforced selvedge edges which have no tendency to ravel.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof.

In accordance wtih' my invention the umbrella covering fabric is woven from cellulose acetate yarn and the warp threads of the selvedge edges are of nylon yarn. Thus, the fabric has nylon warp threads inthe selvedge edge portions thereof which due to the great tensile strength of the nylon yarn impart strength to and reinforce the selvedge edges.

As the cellulose acetate yarn one may use any of the well known acetate rayon yarns, such, for example, as that sold under the. trade-mark Celanese,-for use in making umbrella covering fabrics, which yarns are thermoplastic or fusible. The nylonyarn is a high tensile strength yarn made from artificial fiber forming linear condensation polyamides which may be derived from polymerizable monoaminocarboxylic acids and their amide forming derivatives, as Well as from 2 the reaction of diamines with dicarboxylic acids or amide forming derivatives of dibasic dicarboxylic acids. The nylon yarn used as the warp threads of the selvedge edges is of the same or substantially the same gauge as the acetate threads forming the rest of the fabric.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and showing for purposes of exemplification a preferred form of this invention without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrative instance,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a fabric web of double width which may be out along the longitudinal median line to produce a single width umbrella fabric covering embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of an umbrella fabric covering embodying my invention; and

Figure 3 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale as compared with the scale of Figures 1 and 2 taken'in a plane passing through line 33 of Figure 2.

In Figure 2 of the drawing an acetate fabric I0 is shown having selvedge edges I I and I2 in which warp threads I3 of the selvedge edges II and I2 are of nylon. A body portion I i of this fabric is composed of warp threads I5 and weft or filler threads It of cellulose acetate. The weft or filler threads I6 extend across the nylon warp threads I3 forming the selvedge edges II and I2.

In the illustrative but non-limidng example shown in Figure 2 each selvedge edge may be from to 1" wide, preferably from to A, andthe width of the fabric may be from 18" to 26". A width within this range is now commonly used in the umbrella industry :to produce trianular shaped .panels by cutting fabric along the dotted lines shown in Figure 2. Each selvedge portion 1 I and I 2: preferably contains about thirty nylon warp threads, although a, larger or smaller number of such warp threads. may be employed, ifdesired. 1

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, the fabric is woven of double the desired width, i. e., as woven the fabric is from 36" to 52" wide with the selvedge edges I! and I8 from A" to 1" wide and the centrally located intermediate longitudinally extending portion I9 from /2" to 2" Wide, preferably from 1 to 1 /2" wide. The warp threads of the selvedge edges !'I, I8 and of the intermediate longitudinally extending portion I9 are of nylon. The filler threads and the remaining warp threads of the fabric of Figure 1 are of cellulose acetate. The longitudinally extending portion I9 has its longitudinal median line coincident with that of the fabric web and its width just double that of the selvedge edges I1, l8, so that, when the web is cut on the longitudinal median line, a single width web having selvedge edges of the same width as shown in Figure 2 results. While the web shown in Figure 1 is of double the desired width, it will be understood a fabric may be loomed in narrow looms of just the desired width or in looms for-ming-fanyedesired multiple offithe desired width. In the latter case"each'*interiorly disposed longitudinally extending portion corresponding to portion I 9 of Figure 1 and along which the web is cut to form the selvedgeredges.

of the single width strip is woven with nylonwarp threads and is formed of a width doublethe width of the selvedge edges.

The cutting of the web is performed by a hot knife, such as a rotating knife maintainedatta temperature of 650 to 750 F., usually about 700 causingethecut edgesof the filler threadsto bond with the nylon threads, as ind-icatedlbythe reference character-2|, Figurefi. Ravelling or the cutcedgesisthus prevented."

Preferably, cuttinga of the fabric of A the typc':

shown in :FigureT-l is effected :before :the: fabric;

is shipped tothe umbrella manufacturer; the:- product shipped to .such manufacturer beingzthat shown in Figurerzinbolt or roll form. However, if-desireda: web of .double width', as shownin Figure 1, or even of a-greater.multiplexwidth, may: 40

be shipped '-to' the :umbrella manufacturer; who? in use would cut it longitudinally along theme-- dian line; ofthe intermediate portion or portions having thenylon reinforcingthreads either: be

foreor during the cutting into "triangular shaped 451' panels:

In the case of-theiprodu-ction of-a' fabric-embodyingv-my invention in a'singlawidth loom; the? edges of the filler threadsrare-n'ot fusedto thenylon. =Wa-rp 'thread's forming the f selvedge redges; 59

but are-woundorwoventhereabout so'that they haverno tendency'j'to' ravel;

It wi-ll be'noted that this invention. provides an umbrella fabric covering: of. uniformrthickness:

havinglreinforced selvedgeedges :capablezof :with

standingihezstresses fto .which the :umbrella: fab 1 ric'cis :SubjectedJiniuse-Zby the .uznbrella Lstays flue; terrais'ing; and lowering: of the umbrella, which fabric i may belmade in' single'or multiple-width; looms" in any-desiredWidth, nd' which, when made: on :a multiple width' loomwith consequent economy in the manufacture of the fabric; and" For those operating. at, 25

thereafter cut into the desired width as hereinabove disclosed has no tendency to ravel or fray along the cut edges.

Since different embodiments of the invention could be made Without departing from the scope of this invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is .lclaimedis:

1: An' umbrella-coveringwoven-fabric=of cellulose acetate warp and filler threads and having selvedge edge portions of equal width along the opp siteledges thereof and at least one intermediate longitudinally extending portion of double 7 th'e-widthofa selvedge edge portion, the warp threads-in.-said...selvedge edge and intermediate portions consisting of nylon.

2i A woven umbrella covering fabric from 36" to 52" wide of cellulose acetate warp and filler threads having selvedge 1' edge (portions .of aequal width along the oppositeedgesthereof; each ape proximately 4/" to l wide: and :having a: 061-15.- trally 1 disposed longitudinally extending portion-,1 the longitudinal medianof which is coincident' with the longitudinal median line of said fabric, said centrally disposed longitudinally: extending: portion being from: to 2 wide; the-warp: threads in said 'selvedgeedge portions and: said centrally disposed longitudinally extending por tion consisting of nylon.

3. A- woven umbrella covering fabric ffomlil" to" 26" wide comprising cellulose acetate? fill'er' v threads, having'a body portion in which the warpi threads are composed of cellulose acetate and having, edge portions of A to l-' "in'widtlfi in which the -Warp-threads-are-=composedof nylon; one of said edge-portions being a'selvedge-and the other of said edgeportions having the-ends ofthefiller threads fused'to the nylon'warp threads.

WILLIAIVI 'GRACE? I REFERENCES CITED- The following references are. of "record Tinth'ea file of this patent:

UNITED STATES ."PATENTS-E Great Britain Jan. 21; 1926 

